Secret For A Reason
by crazymusicalgenius96
Summary: Despite being surrounded by friends in relationships, Adyson is proudly single. However, texts from a mysterious secret admirer may set out to change that...and allow Adyson to discover things about herself she never knew.
1. Just An Ordinary Day

Chapter 1: Just An Ordinary Day

Facing another day of sophomore year was never an easy task. But somehow I, Adyson Marie Sweetwater, was going to get through it. Luckily, it was a Friday.

I exhibit myself as a generally chipper individual, but very few people know what I'm really thinking. And that bothers me.

So I sat in history class next to this annoying kid named Django Brown and listened to Mr. Montgomery lecture about the Indian Ocean Maritime System. I don't even know why I decided to take AP World History. I hate history. But I wanted to challenge myself, and this was the only way to do so as a sophomore.

"...so, as you can see, class, the IOMS is what allowed Portugal to take over much of India and Indochina..."

I set my head down on my desk. It was there for all of two seconds until Django poked me.

"What do you want?" I whispered, irritated at him for disturbing my peace.

He said nothing, merely looked terrified.

Am I really that scary?

I huffed, blowing a chunk of my bangs towards him. "Okay, chump. I don't know why you can't talk to me. So I'd prefer it if you left me alone."

The kid looked depressed, and turned away, beginning to doodle on his map of the Indian Ocean.

I took the opportunity to set my head back down on the desk. This was why I didn't have a boyfriend. Guys are horribly immature at fifteen. Django seems to find poking me to be a splendid way of spending his day. I don't particularly want to deal with that.

Phineas and Ferb were different, of course, but they were already taken. Thanks to Isabella and Gretchen, any chance of a love affair with either of them was completely shot. I sighed again.

I felt Django staring at me. I looked up at him, and he quickly turned away and continued drawing something furiously.

"...Miss Sweetwater, could you kindly tell us what Portugal's main import was?" Mr. Montgomery asked, staring me down.

"Uh..." I blanked. I had no idea. I flipped through my scarce notes, but I hadn't written anything down about it.

"It's pepper," Django said softly.

"Why, thank you, Mister Brown, for picking up the slack for Miss Sweetwater. So as we can see, this craving for pepper from India is what led to..."

Django was still staring at me.

All I could do was shoot him a dirty look. But he never gets the message that staring at people is creepy. This had happened every day so far. Why should he change his routine now?

I wish people understood me.

**A/N: And so begins an epic tale. This chapter's a little short, but there are some doozies coming up. At any rate, enjoy!**


	2. The First Text Message

Chapter 2: The First Text Message

Other things that bother me: my favorite black shorts didn't have back pockets, and I can't drive yet because my sixteenth birthday is in the summer. However, the thing that took the cake for today was this: Milly kept pestering me about some stupid girl night that someone had apparently planned. She'd been bugging me all day about it, and the more she asked, the more determined I was not to go.

"Seriously, Adyson, Holly and I are gonna go bonkers if you aren't there!" Milly cried. "Katie can't come. And all Isabella, Ginger and Gretchen are going to do is talk about their boyfriends. We need you to come!"

We were standing outside the front of the school, books in hand, getting ready to go home. Milly and I were always the last ones to leave; we couldn't ever get a ride home before 5 pm.

I snorted. "How can you forget that you have a boyfriend too? You've been going out with Buford since the Falling Stars Dance, like, four months ago."

Milly looked hurt for a second, a rare expression for her.

I realized I'd gone too far. I sighed. "Milly, I just can't today. Honestly. I'm really sorry."

"You could at least say why you can't come," grumbled Milly. "Katie's watching her little brother, so she has an excuse. You always make girl nights way more interesting. We need your sarcasm to dull down the hearts and rainbows!"

A car horn honked, and I turned to look. It was my older sister, Jaycee.

"I gotta go, Milly. I'll call you later if I can," I offered as a feeble explanation, running towards the car.

"Hey, Addie," Jaycee said as I opened the car door. "How are you today?"

"Terrific," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Jaycee put her foot on the gas, and we sped away.

"I can't wait until I can get a permit," I said as I stared out the window. "Then I could drive myself places."

"I agree, kid," Jaycee said as we pulled up to an intersection. "Then I wouldn't have to come pick you up from school."

More silence.

"Addie?" asked Jaycee.

I didn't reply.

"Something happened today, Addie, I know it."

I picked at my hangnails.

"You aren't gonna be civil until you let it out. Would you rather do it at home, within earshot of Mom?"

"No," I said softly.

"Well then, go right ahead."

Sigh. Better say it.

"This is gonna sound really stupid...but everyone wants me to go to this girl's night thing, and I don't want to go because everyone is either going to complain about their boyfriends or the fact that they don't have one. And Milly keeps begging me to go and it's frustrating."

Jaycee laughed. "That is seriously what your problem is? I thought it was going to be that you failed a test or something. This is much easier to fix."

"Easier to fix?" I squeaked. "I'd rather have failed the test."

"You are just like Mom," said Jaycee, shaking her head. "They're your friends, right? Just tell them that you want to change the subject and they should listen to you. Go to the party, Addie."

We pulled into the driveway. Hopping out of the car, I grabbed my phone and sent Milly a quick text: **i'm coming to the partay. holly's house at 8?**

"I don't know why you get so worked up over such tiny things, Addie," Jaycee continued. "If you would just calm down a little bit, you wouldn't have nervous breakdowns all the time."

"Jayce, I only ever have them around you. I'm usually a more normal human around other kids. And I just texted Milly; I told her I'm going."

Jaycee smiled. "Good. I'll take you, Mom will probably be too tired."

Jaycee and I walked in the house. I set my bag down on the ground in the front hall and made a beeline for the kitchen to grab some mango juice. As I walked to the fridge, I could smell Mom making a pot of Blue Box macaroni and cheese.

"Hey, Mom. Having orange goo tonight, are we?" I said sarcastically, pulling the carton out of the refrigerator door. "My presence has been requested at a girl's night at Holly's house, so I don't think I'll partake."

Mom smiled sheepishly. "You know I'm no good at cooking. I'm a librarian, not a chef. At least the orange goo won't kill you, Adyson."

Pouring the juice into a glass, I smirked. "You never know. That stuff could be radioactive."

"So you're going to Holly's? How are you getting there? You know I've been on my feet all day, honey, I just can't go anywhere else today."

I took a sip of juice. "Jaycee's gonna take me."

"Thank goodness. Your sister is such a godsend. Tell her thank you from me, will you, Adyson?" Mom stirred the macaroni and cheese. "I'm glad you're getting to spend time with your friends. I hardly ever did when I was a girl. I still don't."

I drained my glass, slurping up the last dregs of mango goodness. "That's because you don't have any friends, Mom."

Mom sighed. "You're probably right. Where's your sister?"

I shrugged. This was one of the reasons that it was generally undesirable to share things with Mrs. Amelia Roxanne Sweetwater: she'd never let you get a word in edgewise.

"Can you go see if she's upstairs? I need to keep watching my goo, as you've termed it." She giggled. "Orange goo. That's so cute!"

"That was not meant to be cute, Mom," I grumbled as I climbed the stairs. "Hey, Jaycee, Mom wants to know if you're up here."

"I'm doing homework, Mom!" Jaycee shouted from our room.

I opened the door, waving to her computer as I passed. "Hey, Chad. Good job posing as homework."

"No problem," he laughed.

Chad Romano has been dating my sister for five years now, all thanks to Lira's Lovely Letters. Though he's off at real college while my sister's at Tri-State Area Community School, they still chat every day for at least an hour.

Speaking of homework, I pulled out my math book and started on my geometry. I actually liked it: it had a lot of structure that my family certainly lacked.

I had nearly finished the math when my phone buzzed, three times in a row, and I opened it to see why I was suddenly so popular. The first text was from Milly: **yayz! i knew u would come =)**. The second from Holly: **Milly told me you're coming to the girls night. We'll make extra food.** I laughed at this, Holly knew how much I loved food.

The third text was from a number I didn't recognize. It simply read **Hey, is this Adyson?**

Puzzled, I quickly typed a reply. **yes...and you are?**

I waited for an answer, trying to focus on my last geometry question, but not really succeeding. Finally my phone vibrated, showing the message: **You might say I'm your...secret admirer. I got the number from Phineas, in case you're wondering.**

Now my interest was really piqued. Using Phineas as a clue to help me figure out who the guy's identity wasn't super helpful, seeing as Phineas was friends with practically everybody. I thought I ought to send a cheeky reply, just to see if it would get him out of his shell: **so you stalk me? =)**

The new reply came right away. **Not exactly. I do pay attention to what you do, though. At school, I mean.**

So he did attend our school! I mean, I wasn't sure before, considering he actually used proper grammar in his text messages. Maybe I should ask him what grade he was in. **are you a sophomore?**

**Yup. I am, in fact, in the tenth grade.**

Now to see if this was actually worth pursuing. **what's your favorite thing to do?**

**I like to draw, mostly. And write stories. I illustrate them.**

This guy was sounding nicer and nicer. Perhaps I _would_ have some juicy gossip to share at Girl Night. Maybe - just maybe - they could help me figure out who he is.

_A/N: Now we start to get more into the meat of the story. This is in the same "universe" as The Advice Column, so you ought to recognize some of the names and events if you read that. This chapter may be a little confusing right now, but things later on will probably help to explain this one better. XD_


	3. Girlish Gossip

Chapter 3: Girlish Gossip

The inside of Holly's house smelled freaking amazing. I was starving - and the Sanderses had been kind enough to make homemade chili. Considering that Holly and I have been best friends since the age of four, and that Mom, Jaycee, and I have a long-standing open invitation to dinner, they knew that it was my favorite.

"Holly! Chili!" I cried, dive-bombing for the dinner table.

Mrs. Sanders chuckled. "What is your mom doing for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"Blue Box," I said, scooping myself a bowl of chili. "I try to tell her to just make herself salad, but she won't listen to me."

Holly came in, carting her iPod speakers and several chick flicks. "Hey, Adyson. I see you've already attacked the food."

"Do you blame me?" I asked through a full mouth of delicious chili and tortilla chips. "This chili is most of the reason that I'm here."

Holly laughed. She set down the stuff on the family room sofa. "I'm glad you decided to come. It's so awkward when it's just Katie and I with the boyfriend bunch. And she keeps pining over Irving, even though he's obviously..."

"...not interested in females," we finished together.

"But I could never tell her that," she continued, sitting down next to me. "You know, I think I may partake in some of that chili with you. Smells great, Mom."

"It always does," I said gratefully.

Milly and Ginger came in next. "Hey! Glad you could make it!" Milly said to me, playing with a strand of her curly hair. "Can't wait for chili."

"Help yourselves," Holly offered.

Before long, we all had bowls of deliciousness. Well, mine was mostly gone, but hey. A girl's gotta eat.

Isabella and Gretchen came in next, their arms full of "Would You Rather" books. They're a staple at these sorts of events.

"Hey, girls, whatcha doin'?" asked Isabella, in her usual cheerful manner.

"Eating chili," I said, pausing to look at my now empty bowl. "Well...that's what I _was_ doing."

Everyone laughed, and Isabella and Gretchen sat down at the table with us, grabbing bowls of chili for themselves.

"So I think we should do 'Would You Rather' first, since the books are right here," said Holly. "Anyone want to naysay that notion?"

Yes, we still make decisions like we're official troop girls, even at such casual events as this.

"I think everyone agrees, Holly," said Gretchen. "Chief, want to get started soon?"

Isabella swallowed a spoonful of chili. "Just a sec. I'm still having glorious nourishment."

oOoOoOo

A few minutes later, we were seated in a circle on the floor of Holly's family room. Isabella was the official keeper of the books, and we weren't allowed to change unless we couldn't find a question to ask in the book that was already being used.

Are you honestly surprised that these activities involved so many rules?

"Would you rather...only listen to banjo music or only listen to bagpipe music?" Ginger asked Gretchen, giggling in her usual sort of way.

Gretchen rolled her eyes. "You asked me that last time, Ginger, and I said I'd rather listen to banjo music." She turned towards me, taking the book from Ginger's hands. "Adyson."

"Oh, dear," I said sarcastically. Gretchen always tries to stump me with a hard question, but I always pick pretty easily.

"Would you rather...eat a live gerbil or remove your own appendix with nothing but a shoehorn and a rusty old menorah?" Gretchen asked me. Everyone erupted into laughter.

"What the heck?" I replied. "I don't even know what a shoehorn is!"

"It's a thing that you use to slip boots over your heel, I think," said Isabella. "We got a 'Create a Rubber Shoehorn' Patch at some point."

"Okay. Uh...I guess I'd eat the gerbil. I don't even think it would be possible to remove your appendix with that stuff."

Gretchen handed me the book. "Your turn!"

I flipped through it, wearing a mockingly thoughtful expression, until I found one I liked. "Holly. Would you rather...paint like Picasso but forever smell like raspberries, or be really good with computers but always have an incredibly moist left foot?" I always ask the conditional ones, they seem to say the most about a person.

"Definitely Option #1. I love raspberries! And having a moist left foot...that would just be weird." Holly giggled and took the book from me.

"Isabella, would you rather...only be able to see the world in a single shade of red or barely hear people when they speak?"

Isabella smiled serenely. "I'd see the world in the one shade of red that is Phineas' hair..." she said dreamily.

Phineasland. She'd be lost for hours.

"Isabella!" I cried. "You gotta ask a question."

Her bubble was popped. "Oh! Right! Sorry."

She took the book and flipped through it, frowning, then reached for a less generic version of "Would You Rather" on the pile behind her - the romance edition.

"Oh, no," Holly groaned in my ear. This was the beginning of the boyfriend talk. Again, this would last hours.

Sigh. This is why I generally would have preferred to spend my evening at home.

oOoOoOo

"So I was eating this absolutely awesome cake-pie thing that Phineas made for his dad's birthday, and then somehow a ton of ice cream landed on me - I don't even know where it came from - and he cleaned up everything, but mostly me, and it was just so adorable I could die!" Isabella squealed happily.

Holly and I shared a look as the others squealed with her. What can I say? It was a little bit awkward.

My phone vibrated again.

**You know, Adyson, you really are a special girl.**

It was the mysterious stranger. I looked quickly at the message, then set my phone back down.

Unfortunately, Isabella caught me looking at my phone. "Who just texted you, Adyson?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.

I suddenly blushed. Why was I blushing? "I'm not at liberty to say."

"Ooh, Adyson's got a secret," Milly cooed teasingly. "Who is it?"

"I-I don't actually know," I stammered. "He said he got the number from Phineas, so it could be anyone at our school."

"Adyson!" Gretchen exclaimed. "That is extremely dangerous. Please tell me you didn't give out any personal information. Because that could entail serious consequences. You could be texting some random guy, who knows?"

Without warning, Holly grabbed my phone.

"Hey!" I cried, trying to get it back.

"Relax, Adyson, I'm just looking at the phone number." She then looked at her own phone, and smiled. "It's okay, guys. It's just a kid from school, I have the number too."

"Who is he? I want to see who's been sending Adyson love notes," Ginger said.

Holly smirked. "That I will not tell you. He obviously wants his identity to remain a secret."

"Holly!" Isabella cried.

"Besides, it's more fun to guess," Holly commented with a smile.

Ginger bounced up and down. "Oh! I bet it's Pedro Martinez!"

"Ew, no," Holly remarked. "I don't even think he knows Adyson."

"Is it Carter Robinson?" Milly asked, playing once again with her hair.

Holly shook her head. "You guys are so far off the mark it's not even funny. Trust me, you'll never guess who it is in a million years."

I was glad to not know the identity of my secret admirer. It's a secret for a reason, right?

**A/N: Here's Chapter 3 for you. This will probably be the last post until Wednesday, at the very soonest. And aha! The title comes from the last line! Hope you enjoyed the Girl Night - I can never seem to write anything about the Fireside Girls unless they're performing some stereotypical teenage activity. XD**


	4. Back to the Grind

Chapter 4: Back to the Grind

The weekend passed without further disturbance. I only got an occasional text from my SA, as I had now termed him, and had to spend several long, excruciating hours listening to Jaycee sweet-talk Chad, just as I always do on Saturday afternoons while doing homework.

Soon, it was Monday once again. Back to the grind of the school day.

I sat in Montgomery's class, chewing my spearmint gum and writing down an occasional word in my textbook to help me remember something - anything - about India in the 1400s.

Django was doodling as usual. He seemed slightly less creepy today. I don't know what it was about him, but he seemed...happy. Not shaking in his boots to come within five feet of me.

Maybe he'd found himself a girlfriend.

I'd have to inquire about that later.

But the fact of the matter was that Mr. Brown didn't stare at me. He'd just occasionally glance over at me, then go right back to whatever he was doing.

Geez. Now I was probably staring.

I went back to my note-taking and tried to get rid of the unsettling feeling in my stomach.

oOoOoOo

"So how was the Girl Night?" Katie asked me at lunch, as she picked the chicken out of her salad.

"It was fun, I guess," I said, taking a bite of my peanut butter and banana sandwich. "Isabella was Isabella, but you can't really change that. It's just who she is."

Holly, Katie, and I all have a different lunch period than everyone else, which is extremely nice, considering we're the single ladies. It makes our topic of conversation much more varied.

Today, however, I wanted to focus on getting that news about Django.

"Did Django Brown get a girlfriend or something this weekend?" I asked.

Holly and Katie both gave me a funny look. "Why?" they said in unison.

I took another bite of sandwich. "Because he acted like a normal human being for the first time all year. He didn't feel the need to stare me down all class period. It was nice, actually."

Holly giggled. "I don't think he did. I didn't know he annoyed you that much."

"Huh. Maybe he got a pet kitten or something. I dunno. Weird," I said, pausing to eat a potato chip.

"I don't know anything about it," Katie said, shrugging.

It was silent for a second as we each continued eating our lunches.

"I wish Irving would notice me," she blurted suddenly, staring at the guy in his usual geek corner. "He seems so lonely. I know I'd try to help him be less alone. I mean, just look at him! His pink glasses are so adorable..."

We all turned around and watched Irving flip his hair out of his eyes, and Holly and I tried to keep from bursting out in uncontrollable laughter at Irving's obvious swishy-ness. "You could, um, I don't know, make the first move, Katie," I suggested, managing to mostly compose myself.

Katie looked mortified. "Gosh, no! I could never do that. You ought to make the first move with Django, since you seem so interested in him," she retorted angrily.

"Django? Dear God, Katie, the kid's psychotic! I could never date anyone remotely like him."

Holly suddenly frowned. "I think he heard you," she said, pointing.

I turned around and looked at him. He was sitting with some other artsy-looking kids not too far away, and he looked crushed.

"Let him hear," I said resolutely. "It's the truth."

**A/N: So Adyson declares her intentions against Django. What will happen now? ;) Chapter 5 should be up tomorrow.**


	5. Discussions and Nightmares

Chapter 5: Discussions and Nightmares

Jaycee had work until midnight. That meant that I got our room all to myself for the evening, since Mom never tries to intrude. After I finished my homework, I sat on my bed and tried to think of something fun to say to SA. I wanted to...impress him. I don't know. He admired me for some reason, and I had decided I wanted to keep it that way.

**hey, secret admirer. did you do any more admiring at school today?**

Okay, I admit that that was kind of lame, but I couldn't come up with anything better.

Luckily, his reply was speedy.

**I did, as a matter of fact. It was nice to see you at school after talking to you this weekend.**

**let's get to know each other a little better. what is your largest pet peeve?**

I smiled as I sent it. I was curious to see his reply.

**My pet peeve: when people don't use proper grammar while texting. Weird, but true.**

I rubbed my nose. I figured I ought to write with more capitalization for SA's viewing pleasure. My only problem was that I couldn't remember how to capitalize on my phone.

Eventually, I figured it out, and sent him a tiny message: **Is this better?**

**Yes. Yes, it is. =D**

**What's your favorite color?**

There was a bit of a wait after this, in which I got out my deck of Barbie-themed cards and played solitaire.

Don't judge, I've had them since third grade.

I glanced up at the clock.

"10:30? Geez. Maybe he already went to bed."

As soon as I said this, though, my phone vibrated. **My favorite color is yellow. Sorry I got sidetracked there for a sec, my sister's home from college and she got me into a brutal discussion about seagulls.**

I laughed at this. **Seagulls?**

**Yeah...my sister's kind of a wacko.**

I suddenly remembered he liked to draw. **Do you draw stuff in nature? Or do you draw people?**

**Uh...I draw stuff in nature. I like drawing landscapes. Especially at sunset. It's the most beautiful time of day.**

Sunset...that was awfully romantic. **What's your favorite food?**

**These are really random questions, Adyson.**

**I'm just saying whatever comes to mind! So what is it?**

I waited patiently for the reply, but none came.

Jaycee walked in the door around twelve fifteen. "Hey, Addie, what are you still doing up?"

"Oh. Just texting Holly," I said innocently. "She has a secret admirer," I added sweetly.

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure 'she' is very excited about this kid." She threw her work apron down on the bed and sat next to it. "You know you can tell me anything, Addie. I can keep all those secrets in your heart."

I frowned in thought. I knew that I could tell Jaycee absolutely anything. But for some reason I wanted to keep this private. I felt like Jaycee had no place in my potential love life. Key word potential.

"Jaycee...I..." I began.

Suddenly, our discussion was pierced by a scream.

"No! Not John, not John!"

Jaycee and I looked at each other. "Mom's having another nightmare. You stay here, I'll calm her down. You know I can."

So I sat and waited while Jaycee went to calm the storm of my mother's emotions. I could never do it.

I remind her too much of John. My father.

oOoOoOo

"Is Mom okay?" I asked Jaycee as she came back in the room.

She didn't answer my question, just asked, "What are you doing up still? It's one o'clock! You need to go to bed."

"You didn't tell me about Mom."

Jaycee sighed. "She's gonna be okay. She'll probably call in sick tomorrow, but it wasn't as bad as some of the ones she's had."

She sat down next to me, and I hugged her. We stayed like that for a long while, until finally she yawned and stood up.

"Let's go to bed now, Addie."

She turned off the lights and tucked me in, just like she used to when I was very small.

"Goodnight, Addie Marie," she said, kissing me on the forehead.

Jaycee always knew what to do in these kinds of situations.

This was one of those times when I wished I did, too.

**A/N: There's a wee bit of drama in this chapter! Don't worry, you'll find out more about Adyson's dad later. But Jaycee in her element as the protector of the family makes me feel good when I write it. Jaycee to the rescue!**


	6. Snapshots of a Wednesday

Chapter 6: Snapshots of a Wednesday

"Have you heard any more from SA?" Holly asked me on Wednesday morning. She'd adopted the name, too.

"Nope. He hasn't texted me since Monday night. Then Mom had a nightmare. I hope nothing bad is happening in his family life," I said, opening my locker and retrieving my math textbook.

"Are you going to tell him about...you know," Holly breathed.

"About my dad? Not unless he asks, and that will hopefully be a long time away from now." I shut my locker. "Changing the subject...Milly's been awfully mopey. Especially yesterday."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh, she and Buford had an argument about something, and she's afraid that it will spell disaster for their relationship."

A sudden thought occurred to me. "Is Buford my secret admirer?"

Holly burst out laughing. "God, no. Absolutely not."

"Phew. I was hoping it wasn't the case, since everyone tried to pair us up in middle school, and you know how much of a disaster that was."

Phineas and Isabella came up to us, also holding their geometry textbooks. "Hey, Adyson!" Phineas said. "I heard you have a secret admirer."

Holly gasped. "Isabella! Did you tell him?"

Isabella shook her head. "It was Phineas' idea for the secret admirer to get Adyson's phone number and text her. You know, for the sake of staying anonymous."

I nodded, verifying that SA had also told me this.

"You know, it's almost Halloween. Ferb and I were thinking about having a costume party to celebrate the holiday of spooks. Would you ladies be interested in joining us?" Phineas asked.

"Sure!" Holly said happily. "I can help you guys with the buffet for sure."

"I can help, too!" I said.

"Yeah, help eat it," Holly commented.

The bell rang, and I rushed off to geometry with Phineas and Isabella.

oOoOoOo

After we had finished learning about polygons for the day, Isabella came over to my desk. "Have you tried to guess who your secret admirer is?"

"Nope. I don't want to know, really. It's more fun that it's a mystery. I imagine him to have jet-black shaggy hair and eyes like blue ice," I said, fantasizing. "But his words mean more to me than his potential looks."

"You're right about that." She smiled. "Phineas won't tell me who it is, so I'm in the dark, too."

I sighed. "I feel like a sappy romantic mess. This is so weird."

Isabella smiled. "Trust me, you'll get used to it in a bit. The past few months have really been amazing for me."

"Yeah, but you've been prepping for this for the past several years. I haven't even thought about romance or anything for most of my life."

She patted my shoulder. "If you need anything, just ask."

oOoOoOo

I finally got my answer back from SA. **Sorry I haven't replied back in the past few days, my phone broke and I had to get it fixed. My favorite food is burgers with sweet potato fries. How about you?**

I smiled. He wasn't ignoring me on purpose! **I like all kinds of food, really. But homemade chili is my absolute favorite.**

**Cool, I guess. Any more questions for me, since you're so curious about me?**

**I've got one. Do you know the Muffin Man?**

I giggled. I could say whatever the heck I wanted, and he wouldn't care. I didn't have to hide anything from him. It was very freeing.

**Who lives on Drury Lane?**

I laughed aloud. Jaycee turned over her shoulder and gave me a funny look.

"Addie, I'm doing my online calc class right now. So I'd appreciate it if you were quieter."

I tried to get myself to think ninja as I texted a reply to SA: **No, the other Muffin Man. Yes, of course the one who lives on Drury Lane!**

**Why do you want to know?**

Geez. This flirting thing was harder than it looked. **Because I want to see if it will help me guess who you are. =)**

I noticed a general pattern starting to occur. He'd text me for a bit, then walk away and do something, then reply to my texts.

Maybe he had a far more interesting life than I did. I mean, I don't really have any extracurricular activities, besides occasionally helping out Mrs. Feyersied with unruly new troops of Fireside Girls.

It would be cool if he could let me join in on that.

You know, if this ever went anywhere.

My phone vibrated. **I doubt that. Lots of people know the Muffin Man.**

I decided that this subject was getting boring, and then I remembered the costume party that Phineas had mentioned earlier. **Did you know that Phineas and Ferb are having a costume party for Halloween?**

**No, I didn't, actually. That sounds pretty cool. Are you going?**

**Yup, I have to man the buffet table with my friend.**

**I'll probably show up, too. But if we happen to bump into each other at the party, I won't say if I'm your secret admirer.**

**Agreed. I don't want to know who you are just yet. I like suspense.**

**Me too! So it's decided then.**

I wasn't exactly sure what to say back to that, so I thought I ought to leave it at that.

I stared at my phone for a second, then laughed again. Who would've thought I could be capable of having a mostly successful conversation with a boy?

**A/N: Kind of boring chapter, but those kind of have to be inserted for split up the drama. Because trust me, the next chapter is all drama. I don't know when it will be published, though, so if not tomorrow, Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it! And for today, Happy Passover for those of you who celebrate that! Are there any other holidays that I ought to mention? =) **


	7. A Word Too Far

Chapter 7: A Word Too Far

Phineas and Ferb's "Monster Mash" was the talk of the school by the end of the week. Several freshman girls came up to me to beg for invites to get in to the party. Apparently, they didn't realize that since Phineas and Ferb were creating it, it was open to anyone who wanted to show up.

Even my family members had somehow found out about it. At dinner that evening, Mom, Jaycee, and I all sat eating our grocery store baked chicken, potatoes, and canned green beans when Mom suddenly asked me a simple question.

"Are you going to that Monster Bash thing at Phineas and Ferb's house on Halloween, sweetie?"

I ate another scoop of potato. "Mmhmm. Holly asked me to help her with the food table."

Jaycee patted my arm. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Addie."

"That's nice, dear," Mom said absently. "What do you think you're going to wear for your costume?"

I shrugged. "Whatever red thing I can find. Maybe I'll go as a piece of cherry pie."

Jaycee laughed and took a sip of whatever she was drinking - Diet Coke, probably. "I'm sure that there are other red costumes to wear. Why red?"

"Because it's my favorite color." Because I wanted to impress SA, even if I didn't know who he was yet. And red was my best color.

My mom shook her head. "You young gals are so independent nowadays. When I was a girl I would have wanted my mother's help in picking my costume."

I stared at my mother, confused. "You can help me pick it if you want, Mom." Another bite of potato. Avoid the green beans if at all possible.

"No, no, you do it on your own. I'm so tired nowadays that I probably wouldn't be much help." She sighed.

An awkward silence. It seems to me that I am unable to have a conversation with anyone without at least one of them.

"So...what are you doing for Halloween, Jaycee?" I asked.

"I don't know yet. Chad might come down for the weekend - if he can get away from school."

Mom and I both nodded, each taking a bite.

"If he can't then I might chill with Jenny Brown. She always protests Halloween activities because the candy is so bad for you."

Mom and I nodded again.

I swallowed my chicken. "What are you going to dress up as, if Chad comes down?"

"I'll probably dress up as a fairy or something. I really have no idea."

Yet another silence. Why is nobody able to hold a conclusive conversation anymore?

"So...in chemistry we started talking about biochem today. It's really hard."

My mom suddenly glared at me. "Adyson Sweetwater, we do not talk about biology at the dinner table."

"I didn't mean anything by it, Mom. I just wanted to tell you that it's complicated."

Mom sighed. "Good thing that it's complicated."

I went on, not really paying attention to what I was saying. "Hopefully I'll pass the test. Anyway, we started talking about virus DNA and it's actually interesting - "

"Adyson! No viruses! None!"

I noticed the harried tone in her voice, and vainly tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm not interested in following in Dad's footsteps - "

"ADYSON MARIE SWEETWATER! DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT YOUR FATHER THAT WAY! NEVER, DO YOU HEAR?" Mom screamed at the top of her lungs before collapsing into a sobbing heap.

"Mom, I'm sorry..." I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"IN THIS HOUSE, WE RESPECT THE SOUL OF JOHN SWEETWATER! THE KINDEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED!" she sobbed, pointing at me desperately. She put her head on the table, but she was shaking so hard that she literally fell on the floor and curled up into fetal position.

I leaped up from the table, looking back and forth between Mom and Jaycee. Wordlessly, Jaycee escorted Mom upstairs, leaving me alone with the half-eaten dinner.

I felt so horribly guilty that I sat down and cried. I had driven her to this point, just by some silly words about biochemistry. Why couldn't I just eat in silence, never mind the lack of conversation?

Something in me had awakened with my constant talk with SA. A need for being social.

More time passed, and Jaycee came back downstairs, rubbing her head. "Addie...you know we can't talk about that kind of stuff. You know how Mom gets. She can't work for the next three or four days now. She won't stop crying until tomorrow at the soonest."

"I just wasn't thinking. I swear I didn't mean to upset her. And you know that the doctors have said that we ought to test the waters every once in a while anyway."

"I may not be a medical professional, but I can't help but think that Mom's sanity is best preserved by avoiding the subject. Maybe there's medication she could take, but it'll probably be very expensive..." Jaycee sat down with me, almost at the point of tears. "Addie, you've got to try to help me. Please. She gets suicidal at times like this and I know that I can't earn enough money to take care of you by myself if she..."

Jaycee trailed off. She was actually crying now, probably for the first time in years.

I scooted over to her and hugged her. "I promise, Jaycee. And you know that the second I turn sixteen, I'm getting a work permit and working at Slushy Dawg. Jeremy Johnson already told me I could. And the pay there is pretty good."

Jaycee smiled at me. "I know you really are responsible, Addie. And it's not really fair for you to have to deal with all of this. You should get to be a teenager. I had Chad, at least, to help me out." She stroked my hair. "Now why don't you go look for a cute costume to wear to Phineas and Ferb's party on my computer. I'll help you pick one out."

"Really?"

"Of course. You're my little sister, I gotta make sure you look cute."

Her smiling face reminded me that even though I could be a complete dodo head sometimes, she would always forgive me for it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there's a little more about Adyson's dad...and the rest of her family. I'm really glad Adyson has someone like Jaycee for an older sister, if she had Candace, for example, the whole place would be a screaming mess. It's going to settle down a bit after this, and pretty soon it'll be time for that Monster Mash! =D**


	8. October Thirtieth

Chapter 8: October Thirtieth

It was finally the day before Halloween. A Friday, since Halloween conveniently fell on a Saturday. Unfortunately, our school has a pretty strict dress code for a public school, so we couldn't wear our costumes. Not like I could, anyway, because even though Jaycee had tried to help me pick something out online, I couldn't find anything with a skirt long enough to not make me feel like I was selling myself.

Mr. Montgomery celebrated the holiday by wearing a tie with jack o' lanterns all over it. Otherwise, there was no deviation from our normal classroom habits.

"Alright, class, if you would kindly turn to page 394 of _The World and Its Peoples_, you will find the picture of the last Incan emperor," he began. "Of course, this is a painting...more of an artist's impression, really, since there weren't any painters who wanted to paint the Incas, but there you have it."

Django had so far remained a normal human being. The first few days, I thought that he would soon return to his old ways, but now I was forced to admit the change was permanent. It was kind of a relief, actually. I've known Django since middle school, at least, and he'd always been the awkward kid in the corner.

Maybe his art was helping him to be less so.

I snuck a peek at his drawing of the Incan guy we were talking about. It was actually really cool looking so far. He'd gotten the headdress right and everything.

Django noticed me looking at the picture, and quickly covered it up.

"That's cool, you know," I told him before going back to reading my textbook.

There was that squirmy feeling again. Like cramps...sort of, but not as unpleasant. I poked at my abdomen, trying to make it go away, and eventually it did. I hoped that I wasn't getting sick or something...that would suck, since the party was tomorrow.

Mr. Montgomery suddenly cut into my reverie. "All right, class, let's flip over to page 396 and take a good look at Pizzaro, the guy who conquered the Incas. Pizzaro's expedition began in Panama, and they traveled down towards the South American coast to reach the Inca Empire, which was down in Peru someplace." He gestured to it on the world map on the wall of the classroom. "Unfortunately, the Incas were killed thanks to the Spaniards, who brought all kinds of lovely diseases like smallpox, and the Spaniards didn't really care since all they wanted was gold anyway."

Well then. Thanks for that depressing lesson, Mr. Montgomery.

Some of the other kids started giggling, and he quickly shushed them. "This was no laughing matter, class. Hundreds of thousands died within months of the Spanish arriving in their territory."

I went back to daydreaming. I wondered if SA was a Speckie or a Finkie. I guessed that he was a Finkie, since it seemed like the more artsy option out of the two film franchises.

I didn't have a preference either way, but I thought it would be funny if he were part of a huge fandom like that.

"Homework over the weekend...if you would continue to read Chapter 16 that would be great, class. If you don't, I guess I understand why. Have fun at Phineas and Ferb's party!"

At last, the bell rang. My fifty-six minutes of torture for the day was over.

oOoOoOo

"Come on, Addie, you have to pick out _something_."

Jaycee and I stood in the costume aisle at Target. I stared at the costumes. They stared back.

You know, the little model people they get to wear costumes for the front of the packages are really creepy.

"How about...a ladybug?" she asked, pulling one off the rack.

I shook my head.

Jaycee put her hands on her hips. "Addie, we don't have forever. I have to be at work in half an hour. So could we please hurry this up?"

"Fine," I grumbled, pulling a random costume off the rack and stomping off towards the fitting room.

I hardly even noticed what it was as I put it on. When I stepped outside the fitting room, Jaycee gasped.

"You look adorable!"

I shrugged. "Is the skirt really short?"

"No, it's perfect! You have to get that one. Come on, let's go!"

It must be cute. I've never seen my sister so excited.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Almost time for the party! I have it mostly done, there's just a few little things I want to fix. The AP World lecture is mostly factual, I think...I did it half from memory and half form Wikipedia. XD Most of the other stuff Mr. Montgomery has said is actually true. I took the class last year, so I'm impressed I remembered as much as I did. I might have the Monster Mash chapter up later today, if I'm lucky...and there will probably be about 4 more chapters after that one.**


	9. The Monster Mash

Chapter 9: The Monster Mash

I hate parties.

Unless they have been concocted by Phineas and Ferb. Then they're flipping fantastic.

Not only are they eons cooler than any normal high school party, they are also one hundred percent legal. No substances are ever present that would cause a teenager to get arrested. Because trust me, you didn't need any stimulants to have fun.

I gazed in awe at the monstrous creation present in their backyard. It was a recreation of the haunted house used to scare away Isabella's hiccups a few summers ago. Except now it was emitting dance music mixed by Ferb himself. Why hire a DJ when Ferb could make an incredible show?

Candace was the security guard at the back gate. "Hey, Adyson. Nice costume."

I looked down at my red devil outfit. "Thanks."

"Go on in, I think Holly wanted help with the food table."

I strolled into the haunted house and saw Holly stationed near the dance floor, next to a table that was groaning under the weight of so much home-cooked deliciousness. She was dressed in a candy corn dress, with matching earrings.

"Man, I love your parents," I said, taking a handful of Peanut Party Chex Mix. "I can see why Candace said you needed help."

"Most of the neighborhood's showing up. Leave some for everybody else," Holly said, laughing. "Seriously, Adyson, you must have the metabolism of a fruit fly. You're somehow still a stick."

"What? The best way to a girl's heart is through her stomach."

"You ought to tell that to SA."

We both started cracking up, and Isabella walked past the table in party planner mode to make sure I wasn't choking.

"Phew. I thought I was gonna have to dial 911 for a second," she said, dressed in her more high-school version of a princess outfit. "I like your costume, Adyson."

Once again, I looked down at it. Was it really that cute? I had just picked it up off the rack because it was red.

"I gotta go make sure that all of the rooms with beds are scary enough to ward off any potential couples. See you guys later!" Isabella called, running towards the elevator.

A few minutes later, the room was absolutely packed with people. I was glad I'd eaten some of the food before the party started - my favorite things were all gone within the hour. There was so much stuff to do that I could hardly believe that people were lounging around the food table...there was a whole ride within the mansion, as well as the dance floor area, and there were tons of nooks and crannies to explore.

At last, the other kids realized how awesome the rest of the party was, and we were left alone for a while.

I turned to Holly. "Hey, now that traffic's lightened up a bit, do you mind if I go check this place out?"

"I wanna come too! Let's ask Isabella if she can watch the food table for a little while," she replied excitedly.

Luckily, Isabella consented, and Holly and I wandered around the mansion like kids in a candy store.

We got in line for the ride, and who should be behind us but Django, of all people, dressed as something from Space Adventure. He waved shyly at us, then stared off into space.

We moved up slowly, finally reaching the front about half an hour later.

"Okay, next ten people in line! Next ten people can enter the ride!" said the ride operator, who happened to be Irving.

We clambered into a little roller coaster, and when Holly tried to sit next to me, Irving told her that she had to fill the empty seat in front of us.

"But we want to sit together!" I cried.

"Sorry, that's the rules. You should have traded spaces in line," Irving said grumpily.

So instead, I had the pleasure of sitting with Django for this ride.

We buckled the seatbelt, and Django spoke to me for what seemed like the first time ever.

"Hi, Adyson."

"Uh, hey, Django. Do you like scary rides and stuff like this?"

He nodded eagerly.

Good. I didn't want to spend this ride with a screaming wuss.

The rollercoaster started off, and though it went slowly up the first hill, it made a sharp, speedy decline. I grabbed onto Django's arm, screaming and laughing in delight. It zoomed and whizzed around turns and bends, and Django and I both whooped with joy, with only the occasional scream when something scary would pop out at us.

The ride was so awesome that I wanted it to last forever, but unfortunately it couldn't. So we left the ride, a little dizzy, but extremely glad we'd tried it out.

"That was so epic!" I cried, punching the air with my fist.

"I know, right?" Holly said. "What did you think, Django?"

He looked at us with a look of rapture and delight.

"I think that means he liked it," Holly said, smirking. "Adyson, we better head back to the food table, or Isabella will kill us."

"See you later, Django," I said, looking back at him as we walked away. He was talking animatedly to a short blond girl dressed as a ninja.

He was kinda cute when he was happy like that...

But I was sure that SA was a thousand times cuter than that kid.

oOoOoOo

It was nearing the end of the night, and the food table was pretty much empty. Isabella came over to us and took the last few potato chips.

"You guys can go dance or something. I don't think you need to watch an empty table."

So Holly and I practically ran to the dance floor, wanting to have as much time to dance as possible.

We saw Baljeet and Ginger together, but no other members of our old troop were dancing. And then Ferb put on a slow song.

Great. Who was I supposed to dance with now?

Holly was dragged off by some random guy I didn't know, and then I was really left alone.

Somebody ran into me, and I turned around to ask them who they thought they were, until I realized it was a very embarrassed Django who had been pushed into me by the blond ninja girl. She gestured to us, apparently doing the asking for a dance for Django, then sprinted away.

"Uh...hi. Sorry about that. Evan's an excitable ninja," he said, gesturing back towards the girl.

"Do you want to dance?" I blurted. "Because the song's almost over."

Okay, I was exaggerating, but I kind of just wanted to get this over with.

He put his hands on my waist, a respectable distance from anywhere they should not have been. I put my hands on his shoulders, and we started to sway awkwardly to the music.

What can I say? I'm not exactly a dancer.

"So...the rollercoaster was fun," I said, trying to dispel the awkwardness in the air. And that weird feeling that was making yet another appearance. What was up with that?

"Yeah, definitely," he replied distractedly. "Your costume's nice."

"Everyone keeps complimenting it. I don't know why, considering I just pulled it off the rack at Target yesterday."

Another awkward silence. I could see Baljeet and Ginger sucking face several yards away.

Okay, let's try to block out _that_ mental image.

"You're, uh, really good at history," Django said, removing his hand from my waist momentarily to adjust his helmet.

I did the same thing, only I was adjusting my devil horns. "You are too...I guess."

"Eh, not really. I draw too much in class."

Finally, the song ended, and Django and I immediately reset American society's natural boundaries of personal space. "Um...thanks for the dance, Adyson," he said, looking down at the floor.

"I'll see you at school on Monday?" I said, patting his shoulder.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Sure thing, Adyson."

He wandered away with the ninja girl, and I found myself staring after him.

Maybe I'd been wrong about that kid. He was kinda nice after all.

But not nice enough for me to change my mind about SA.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Django finally says words! Out loud! And yes, he is a Speckie, he even went to the Sci-Fi Fantasy convention and fought in Our Movie's Better than Yours. XD And Adyson's a devil...I can totally picture her with the little horns and the tail and everything. Evan, the excitable ninja, is an OC I originally created for thomlina and her story "Secrets and Surprises", but she hasn't used her yet, so I figured she'd be a good pal for Django (she's supposed to be really artsy). **


	10. Jaycee Learns the Secret

Chapter 10: Jaycee Learns the Secret

Several days passed. And very little changed in my life.

SA and I were still texting daily, I still hung out with my friends, I still sat home and did homework while making sure my mom was okay every few minutes.

The one thing that was different was Django. He still didn't talk much, but he freely showed me his drawings in class. It was kind of a relief to have actually made friends with him.

I reflected on this as I sat down on my bed and opened up my math book to the correct page.

"November 5th," I said out loud as I wrote the date on my math homework.

My phone buzzed. SA!

**So did you do anything interesting today?** he asked.

**Not really. =) You?**

I barely had put my phone down when he replied. **Nothing except talking to you.**

**Am I really that interesting?**

Jaycee, who was sitting at her computer, turned over her shoulder and looked at me. "You know, Addie, you've been awfully secretive lately. I think you're hiding something from me."

After Mom's nightmare a few weeks ago, she had apparently forgotten that I'd nearly confessed to having a secret admirer. I wasn't sure yet if I wanted to tell her. Hence, the secretiveness.

"If you're doing something dangerous, then you know you will be in deep doody if you don't tell me, missy," she continued. She'd been PMSing the last few days, and now she was taking it out on me. Terrific.

SA chose this moment to text me back, and Jaycee lunged for my phone. "Who are you texting?"

"Give it back, that's private!" I cried, reaching for it and falling off the bed in the process.

Great. She was scrolling through and reading everything I'd ever told SA.

"Who's SA?" she asked me, slightly calmer.

"Um...I don't actually know."

Jaycee stared at me. "You're texting some random guy?"

I reached for my phone again. "No, he's not random! Holly knows who he is! Don't worry, we made sure that he wasn't some creeper a very long time ago!"

Jaycee sighed in relief. "Then what does SA stand for?"

I blushed. "Secret admirer."

Jaycee looked at me and squealed. "Secret admirer? Oh my gosh, Addie, that's adorable! When are you going to find out who he is?"

I shrugged, still a little bit pink. "Whenever he wants to tell me."

"That's actually really cute. Pity he didn't tell you in time for the homecoming dance."

I sighed. This was totally embarrassing. "Homecoming was, like, the end of September. He hadn't even started texting me yet."

She giggled. "What if it's somebody you already know? You know, like that You've Got Mail movie."

"I don't think so. Phineas and Holly know him, but they know tons more people than I do. You know me, Loner McGee."

"I thought you were Accident-Prone Sweetwater," Jaycee said sweetly.

"Shut up!" I said, grabbing my pillow and whacking her with it.

"Pillow fight!" she called, hitting me with her own.

We ran around like banshees, whacking each other and laughing until we cried. Finally, we were so out of breath that we collapsed on the floor.

Jaycee turned her head to look at me. "Seriously, Addie, we ought to get back to work."

So we got back up and continued doing our mundane activities, bonded as only sisters can be through the art of pillow-fighting.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Teeny little chapter. The next three will be splendorific, and cool, and way longer than this one (most likely)...but I doubt they'll be published before May 1st. Maybe tomorrow, I'll be able to get the next one up, but after Monday, I'm selling my soul to my production of Les Miz. (The one I'm doing in real life...not my story The Miserable People.) And I have finals and AP/IB tests and all this other crap to deal with...argh, I hate junior year. You'll be seeing a lot more of me after my birthday, which is May 23rd. Then summer shall belong to me! XD**


	11. Awkward Moments and Big Confessions

Chapter 11: Awkward Moments and Big Confessions

"Okay, class, today you'll be going on a scavenger hunt through your textbook to review what you know before our test tomorrow. You may choose your own partners, but please keep the noise level down to a dull roar," said Mr. Montgomery. "The worksheets are on my desk. Thank you, class, now get started!"

It was a Monday morning, all right.

"Wanna be partners?" I asked Django, since he was sitting right next to me anyway.

He nodded eagerly. "I'll go get the worksheet."

Once he brought it back, we opened up our textbooks.

"Okay...which empire made an extensive use of chinampas: the Aztecs or the Incans?" Django asked me, reading off the paper.

"That one's easy, the Aztecs," I said, writing it down on my paper. "Remember? Chinampas are those little floating garden thingies that the Aztecs used to grow an increased number of crops."

Django nodded, and wrote down "Aztecs" neatly.

"Number two," I continued, "when did Montezuma II rule the Aztec Empire?"

We both flipped through the book, and Django found it first. "He ruled from 1502-1520. Then he was killed by the conquistadors."

"What a cheerful way to spend our Monday morning," I commented, and Django laughed. "It seems to me that somebody is always dying in history class."

Django twirled his pencil around like people sometimes do with drumsticks. "Well, everybody dies. It's just that we have to hear about the more famous deaths, because they affected more stuff."

I shrugged. "I guess." I stared at his pencil-twirling. "Teach me how to do that!"

He looked down at his hand; he seemed to not have noticed he was doing it before. "What, this?" He shrugged. "Okay, sure."

Django held the pencil still. "See, all you have to do is push it around your thumb with your middle finger. And then when you want it to stop, just catch it between your thumb and your index finger. Like this." He did one single flip. "You try," he said, smiling.

I picked up my own pencil, and started to try it, but Django stopped me.

"You're not holding the pencil right," he said. He grabbed for my hand and set the pencil in it correctly.

Suddenly, the funny feeling made a comeback, setting in as soon as he had finished giving me my pencil.

We both realized simultaneously that he was still holding my hand awkwardly, and he let go suddenly, turning back to the textbook and flipping through it feverishly.

"Okay, so what's number three?"

I stared at him, confused. "You okay, Django?"

He ignored my question. "The Spanish Inquisition was in Panama - true or false?"

"False," I said.

Okay, that whole last encounter had been weird. Really weird.

I brushed off the awkwardness and continued working.

oOoOoOo

It was 1 o'clock in the morning, and I was still texting SA. I didn't really care that I had a history test in seven hours; I'd studied for it enough. Sleep? What's that?

Right now, it was his turn to text. **We should come up with cute nicknames for each other.**

**Well, I already have one for you. I call you SA, short for secret admirer.**

**Kinda cute, in a kitschy way. What should I call you?**

Anything was fine, as long as it wasn't Addie. **I don't really have a nickname, so you can come up with something.**

**I'm sure you had a nickname when you were a baby, Adyson. Hmm...how about Ady-cakes? Too cutesy?**

I giggled as I sent my reply. **Definitely.**

**Darn, I wanted to come up with something original. "Baby" has always sounded weird to me. Anyway, I can't think straight at one in the morning. Maybe we should go to bed.**

**No way! I do this every night. I'm a night owl for sure.**

**When do you get up for school?**

**My sister will be like, "Addie! Get your butt down here! It's 7:50 and school starts in five minutes!" At which point I'm usually still asleep.**

**I knew you had a nickname! Can I call you Addie?**

My text back was a pure reaction of self-defense.

**No! Only my sister is allowed to call me that. Nobody else.**

I sent it, then realized it sounded a little harsh.

His reply back seemed to be understanding, though, and definitely carefully constructed.

**You've never told me about your family. If you're willing to share, I'd be interested to find out.**

I was suddenly nervous. Should I tell SA about my horrendous history? I supposed if anyone would accept me for it, he would.

**Well, here goes. I live with my mom and my older sister, Jaycee.**

**Okay, cool. What about your dad?**

I bit my lip. My dad was obviously a taboo subject. I wasn't sure whether I should tell SA about something that I couldn't even say out loud.

**He...he's dead. He was a scientist for the government, and he caught some strange virus that he was working on. I was only three when it happened, but it still affects my mom and my sister a ton. It was a horrifying disease.**

There was a pause, in which I thought about what I'd just said. It was highly classified information. Only Holly knew how he'd actually died.

So why had I just spilled the beans to a stranger?

I supposed he wasn't really a stranger anymore. And he was very good at keeping secrets. He'd hidden his identity for this long, hadn't he?

**That's awful. I thought you would just say he lived in a different state or something.**

**I don't really talk about it. It's kinda difficult to when your mom goes ballistic anytime you mention the word "Dad".**

**I guess that's understandable. If you don't mind me asking, why does your mom get so crazy?**

**She's never really dealt with it properly. She'll have a crying fit for days...she gets nightmares about him all the time. Mom can barely function most of the time, and she's been this way for the past twelve years. I think she's actually getting worse instead of better as time goes on.**

**That's not good that your mom is getting worse. I could ask my mom for advice for you guys - she's a psychiatrist who specializes in people dealing with grief and loss. So if you can't even talk about it at home, how did you find out about your dad? I doubt your mom told you when you were three.**

**I do have one single memory of him. He had brown hair and green eyes, just like me, and he was really tall. He used to swing me around like a bell. The only reason I know any of the details of his death is because of Jaycee.**

**Jaycee must be a pretty strong person to support you guys.**

I smiled at the mention of my sister. **She works part-time and goes to college and still has time to help me when I need it. She's awesome.**

**Your sister sounds really cool! Maybe I'll get to meet her someday. ;)**

I gasped at the winky face. Was he insinuating something here?

**Are you saying that we won't just text for the rest of our lives?**

**Actually, I was hoping that we could supplement texting with face-to-face speech sooner rather than later...**

His use of big words tickled me pink. **Do you mean to ask me out on a date, good sir?**

**Indeed I do. Meet me at the Chez Badger restaurant on Friday night at 7:30.**

**Should I wear anything special? =)**

**No, but watch out for me. I'll be the one with a yellow tie and a carnation in my lapel. See you then?**

**Sure thing, secret admirer. =D**

I squealed with delight. SA asked me out! SA asked me out!

Immediately, I punched in Holly's phone number. She had to know about this.

"Holly! Holly! You'll never believe what just happened to me!"

"What could possibly be so important at 2:14 am on a Tuesday?" she asked groggily.

"My secret admirer finally asked me out on a date!"

Holly squealed. "That is pretty exciting! Plus you'll finally find out who he is. I can't wait to see your reaction!"

"Holly, he better be cute. That's all I'm gonna say."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

I sighed. "You have to help me pick out something to wear. Chez Badger is a really nice restaurant."

"He's taking you to Chez Badger?" Holly inquired on the other end of the line. "Man, I wouldn't have believed him to do that. But I'll help you pick an outfit. For sure. And I'm sure the others'll help, too. But remember, he's your secret admirer and he already likes you, so whatever you wear, he'll think it's marvelous."

"I can't believe I'm so excited. But I am! I think I'm more interested in the fact that I finally get to meet SA face-to-face. The secret is being revealed..." I said dreamily. "And I'm also excited that the date involves food."

Holly laughed on the other end. "I guess someone told him that the best way to a girl's heart is through her stomach."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Haha, I tricked you! I'm guessing you thought SA was going to reveal himself to Adyson. Nopesies! But Adyson does reveal the truth about her father. **

**Okay, maybe you didn't, but I did make the chapter title esoteric enough so that you might guess.**

**So now you guys really do have to wait until May 1st for the last two chapters. They're both done, but I want to keep the final reveal a surprise for a bit. MWAHAHA. And I do want to change some things in both of them, so I would have regretted posting them right now. **

**See you then! **

**~Marisa, aka crazymusicalgenius96**


	12. What Not to Wear

Chapter 12: What Not to Wear

Holly and I sat on my bed, staring at my closet.

It looked evil, like it wanted to swallow us up and eat us.

Or rather, swallow up and eat the perfect outfit. Because we certainly weren't getting anywhere.

"How fancy do you want to be, Adyson?" Holly asked me, sighing.

"Well, the place is at least as glamorous as Chez Platypus. Remember when we made that with Phineas and Ferb?"

Holly nodded. "You kept eating all the chicken nuggets."

"They were working us hard back there! I was hungry!" I protested.

Holly stood up and picked through my meager assortment of clothing once more. "I don't know if you have anything that's Chez Badger-worthy. I mean, I'd lend you something, but all of my really fancy clothes aren't red, they're mostly orange and yellow. And those two colors don't really suit you. Red makes the best contrast with your eyes, it makes them stand out."

I sighed and fell backwards onto my bed. "What am I going to do? The date is tomorrow night!"

"Maybe you should borrow something from Candace Flynn," Holly commented. "She wears a lot of red."

I laughed out loud. "She's so much taller than me! She qualified for Flawless Girl once upon a time! Which means she's a good seven inches taller than five-foot-three moi."

"This is getting ridiculous," Holly said exasperatedly. "Maybe you could borrow something from Isabella?"

"Once again, height is probably an issue. Practically everyone is taller than me, Holly."

Jaycee suddenly came in the room. "How are we doing, girls?" she asked.

"No luck," I moaned. "Chez Badger is so schmancy that we can't find anything that will fit in the dress code!"

"And she wants something red, because red is her best color, after all," added Holly.

"Red?" Jaycee said, obviously remembering something important. "I'll be right back."

A minute or two later, she returned with a garment bag. She unzipped it and showed us its contents...

Inside, there was a roughly knee-length deep red dress, with a satin bodice and a skirt made from some other fabric that I didn't recognize. The bodice had all kinds of cool folds, and a big bow with a rhinestoned buckle. It had spaghetti straps, so I was assured it would stay on my body.

"I wore this five years ago, for my sophomore homecoming dance with Chad. It was the first dance we went to together. I think I ought to pass it down to you, Addie," Jaycee said, a tear in her eye. "I have some silver shoes and a really nice barrette to go with it, we can pull your bangs back or something with that..." She started crying, this time out of joy. "I can't believe my baby sister is going on her first date! It makes me feel so old!"

I laughed. "Jaycee, you're only twenty. Relax."

Holly and I both hugged her, sitting down next to the dress and having a cuddle-fest.

"You know, that secret admirer of yours has made you a totally brave person, Addie," Jaycee said. "No more complaining about Girl Nights to me like it's the end of the world."

"Eh, I'd probably still complain about it like it's the end of the world. The girliness kills me every time I go to one!"

"Oh, no," said Holly, "now I'll be the only one at the parties who isn't pining over someone! That's gonna make things really awkward..."

I shook Holly's hand solemnly. "Don't worry, I promise not to pine. And besides, maybe you'll find someone too." I sighed. "Then again, somebody's gotta be the voice of reason in our group."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hate the ending of this chapter, but I couldn't think of a better way to end it. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Go read the final chapter! =)**


	13. The Big Reveal

Chapter 13: The Big Reveal

Chez Badger is a fancy place. It's super fancy.

I was glad I'd decided to dress up.

Jaycee dropped me off in front of the restaurant and smiled at me. "Have fun on your date."

"I'll tell you everything afterwards," I promised.

I entered and walked up to the very tall check-in desk thingy. The host looked down at me condescendingly from his pedestal.

"And...you are?"

"I'm Adyson Sweetwater. I'm here with a friend, but I don't know his name."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "You don't know his...name?"

I blushed. "He's a secret admirer and he's revealing his identity to me tonight."

The host gasped in surprise. "Oh, so this is Miss Sweetwater! We have express instructions for you, mademoiselle," he said, handing me a menu and leading me to a secluded table near the back of the restaurant.

He pulled out the chair for me to sit, and patted my shoulder. "Do not worry, mademoiselle, your love shall arrive extremely soon!"

"Thanks, sir," I said, giggling girlishly.

Now all I could do was wait.

oOoOoOo

Soon, a guy showed up at my table. Unfortunately, he wasn't wearing a yellow tie or a carnation, and double unfortunately, the guy was Django Brown.

"Hey, Adyson. You certainly clean up well; you look really pretty tonight."

"Django? What are you doing here? This seat's kind of reserved."

He sat down quietly. "My folks are here, and I saw you sitting all by yourself, so I came over to investigate."

I huffed. "Well, it's a long and complicated story, and I don't feel like it's necessary for you to know it right now." There was that funny feeling again, taking its usual place in the pit of my stomach. How was Django getting tangled up in all of this?

"My parents are doing their usual parent thing and discussing their early years together. So I've got plenty of time." He looked at me expectantly.

I rolled my eyes. Why was he prying into my personal business?

"If you must know, I have a secret admirer. You might not believe it, but it's true. And he's showing up any minute to reveal his identity. So I'd prefer to not surprise him with another kid sitting in his seat. If you know what I mean."

The stomach feeling was getting worse. What was I going to do?

Django smiled. "I can believe that you'd have a secret admirer. You certainly have admirable qualities."

I frowned at him. "Like what?"

"You're headstrong, and passionate, and you always know what you want. You care very deeply about your friends. You keep straight As with very little trouble."

Huh. I guess I was more admirable than I realized.

But nice as he was being right now, I figured Django ought to get lost before SA really showed up.

I texted SA: *Where are you? There's this annoying guy I know sitting at my table. I promise I didn't invite him here on purpose.*

I looked Django straight in the eyes. His big, delicious, chocolatey brown eyes.

Wait, what?

At any rate, I gave Django a steely look, and said, "I just texted my secret admirer. When he gets here, you kind of have to leave. Otherwise this could get awkward."

Django raised an eyebrow, then took his phone out of his pocket. "Where are you? There's this annoying guy I know sitting at my table. I promise I didn't invite him here on purpose."

I gasped. "How did you get that message?"

Slowly, he removed two things from his pocket.

A yellow tie and a carnation.

Suddenly, everything clicked in my brain.

"Django...Brown...is my secret admirer...?"

He sighed, shaking his brown bangs out of his face. "I know you said you'd never want to date me, or even anyone remotely like me," he said, shooting my own words back in my face. "But I knew I had to try somehow. Believe it or not, Adyson, you are the most beautiful person I've ever known. And I don't think you know that about yourself."

I was completely dumbstruck. How...on...earth.

But then I thought to myself, Relax. Remember how much he's changed in the last month? He's not that weird kid you sit next to in history class anymore.

No, he was definitely something else now.

"Django...thank you. I guess I was just a little weirded out by your, uh, poking me in class."

He flushed red. "Sorry about that. Whenever I'm next to you, I just want to shout my feelings from the rooftops, and I poked you because I thought I'd worked up the courage to tell you, and then I realized I hadn't, and that it would be a horrible idea since we're sitting in the middle of World History..." He sighed. "This probably isn't making much sense."

The funny feeling in my stomach wasn't staying still. It was doing gymnastics around my internal organs.

Honestly, it was a little uncomfortable.

"Django?" I said quickly. "Do you ever get funny feelings in and around your abdominal area? Just from being in my presence?"

He grinned at me. "All the time, Adyson."

"Does that have something to do with the fact that you like me?"

He was shaking with laughter, though I didn't understand what was so funny. "I'd say so, yes."

I frowned at him in a flirty sort of way. At least, that's what I was going for. "What's the big joke here, mister?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just laughing for joy that the girl of my dreams is talking about possibly regarding me in the same way, for once," Django said, ruffling his hair and leaning back onto two legs of the chair. "So...I know you like food. Have you even looked at the menu yet?"

I laughed with him. "You know, I was so nervous that I forgot that we came here to do that. You know, eat food."

As if the mention of food had summoned him, the host returned with a notepad. "Are you ready to order, mademoiselle? Monsieur?"

Django smiled at him. "I think I'll have a burger with sweet potato fries, and the lady would like a bowl of the finest chili," he said, winking at me.

The host took our menus and we were left alone again.

"So...after dinner, would you like to go out on the balcony and look at the stars? Chez Badger has one of the best views in Danville," he said sweetly.

I nodded. "How do you know that? Have you been here often?"

"My dad made the giant badger statue for the roof of the building. So we've kind of got an in here. They invite us to eat here at least once a week." He grabbed my hand. "Adyson, I'm sure this is all kind of freaking you out, because it's freaking me out too, as you can probably tell from the fact that I'm suddenly speaking in run-on sentences when I've said all of five words to you before in person."

I giggled. "Just a bit. But I'm kind of getting used to the idea."

Django smiled. He had a nice smile. "The idea of me being your secret admirer?"

"Mmhmm," I said, more flirtatious than ever.

Our food came quickly, and as we ate, I reflected on the last month of ridiculousness. How it had all started the day of that Girl Night at Holly's house. His first, unsuspecting text. The hours of conversations we'd had. How much he'd helped me be...me.

The way I'd seen love around here, I'd been under the impression that it was all puppies and rainbows. But with Django, I realized that love was just about being yourself. And under that geeky shell, he had a really great self.

The view from the balcony was just as great as Django had said it would be. In the chilly November air, I allowed Django to lend me his suit jacket.

"Won't you be cold?" I protested.

"Nah, I'll be fine. You don't have any sleeves, you should wear it."

We looked at the stars in silence for a long while. But it wasn't an awkward silence. It was simply a moment that needed no words.

"This evening has been really great, Django," I said, turning to look at him. "I certainly have learned to never judge a book by its cover."

He took my hand again. "I know that my cover wasn't exactly the most appealing, but I'm glad I got to tell you the story inside."

"You know, that was really corny."

Django shrugged. "I do my best."

"So you said your mom's a psychiatrist. That must be fun," I said, trying to come up with some sort of conversation.

"Oh yeah, I have to tell you about what my mom said! She wants to see your mom in her office, and try and gauge exactly how to help her out. She said that based on what you told me that she might just need antidepressants."

"Really? That's great news!" I said, hugging him suddenly. I was a little surprised at my own behavior, but I felt that a hug was perfectly acceptable in this situation.

And the stomach feeling was steadily creeping back.

I realized that I'd been clinging to him for longer than a hug usually entails, and I stepped back, perhaps a little too quickly. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pounce on you or anything..."

Django stepped towards me, more slowly. "It didn't feel like a pounce to me." His smile grew wider. "Adyson, I think we both know that I really, really like you. Would I be wrong in saying that...you like me back?"

Did I like him back?

As I looked at him, his sunny smile, his captivating brown eyes, I realized that I did.

"No. No, you wouldn't. Be wrong, I mean. Because I do like you. A lot," I stuttered, and grabbed his hand. "You're a really great guy, Django," I said softly, feeling myself blush.

I was sure I was as red as my dress, and Django grabbed my other hand. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

I tried to come up with a witty comeback. "You're cute when you...uh...well, you're cute all the time."

The stomach feeling was getting stronger. I could imagine it now as an annoying romantic cheerleader that lived in my abdomen. It looked kind of like Isabella.

I realized that this was probably due to the fact that Django and I weren't very far apart right now, and our faces were being slowly drawn together like a magnet.

"Kiss him!" said the annoying romantic cheerleader that was the stomach feeling, waving her pom poms. It was making my heart beat a million miles an hour.

Correction: _he_ was making my heart beat a million miles an hour.

I stood ever-so-slightly on tiptoe and kissed him. Not for very long, mind you, it was a tiny little peck. But I'd done it - I had kissed myself a secret admirer! - and no words I could ever think of would be adequate to describe my happiness.

"I gotta say, Adyson, I certainly wasn't expecting that tonight," said Django, obviously as amazed as I was.

I smiled at him, still trying to force my brain to work and not continue to relive the last few minutes.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

And then he turned into a centaur and we rode off into the sunset -

Just kidding, that's Isabella's dream.

But at any rate, I had learned my lesson, and snagged myself a boy in the process.

And I, Adyson Marie Sweetwater, couldn't be happier.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So that's it. I know I made it totally obvious that Django was her secret admirer all along, but Adyson really could not see it. She's just as clueless as Phineas, basically, which is important for her son Cameron (who will be playing Marius in The Miserable People, once I write his chapters). **

**I have to say, I think this is one of the best things I've ever written. And Django's frickin' adorable. **

**I wasn't sure whether I wanted to have them kiss or not, but I figured, what the hey, it's a sappy fluffy little story. This isn't a snogging-free zone. XD**

**See you next time!**


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